A fusion ticket in Russia

As fusion politics goes, the putative alliance between the Russian presidential candidates Grigory Yavlinsky and Aleksandr Lebed may be in a class by itself. The rough American equivalent might be pairing George McGovern and Gen. Curtis LeMay. Yavlinsky is an American-educated economist who wants to keep Russia on the path of democratic reform, while Lebed is a recently retired army general who has promised to restore order in Russia and make it a great power again.

The only thing harder to imagine than these two men campaigning together is their running Russia together. Yavlinsky believes in free markets and political pluralism. Lebed emphasizes the need for a more managed economy and strong central governance. Yavlinsky has called for greater cooperation between the Russian president and parliament. Lebed says Russia needs a forceful leader who can bend the rest of the government to his will.

The talk of an alliance between the two men has less to do with any common political philosophy than a common desire to gain some purchase in an election that appears to be turning into a two-man race between Boris Yeltsin and Gennadi Zyuganov, the Communist candidate. It would be more honest for Yavlinsky and Lebed to contest the front-runners with their own distinct views rather than trying to create a false and ultimately incompatible coalition. It will be interesting to see which man can restrain his ego long enough to let the other head the ticket.

The potential impact on reform in Russia is not encouraging. Yavlinsky, running by himself, offers Russians a reform candidate unencumbered by the failures and erratic leadership of Yeltsin. But paired with Lebed, Yavlinsky is a much less attractive choice, and may simply provide a reform veneer for an autocratic partner.

Stunting reform would be just fine with Lebed, who reflects a nationalist streak in Russian politics that cuts against most of the changes instituted under Yeltsin. At one point Lebed was talking about forming a coalition with Zyuganov and the Communists.

But for Yavlinsky, the preservation of reform ought to be more important than political ambition. His views on most issues are much closer to those of Yeltsin than of Lebed. Yavlinsky should either put his own views to the test with voters or join other democrats who have set aside their differences with Yeltsin to endorse his re-election. Yavlinsky should not be consorting with the enemies of reform.

-- The New York Times